We have covered the shoes and the ball in our last two articles, now let us get started. It is a great idea once you shoe-up ( put your shoes on ) to step up on the approach and just slide your shoes on the floor, one at a time. This is a great habit to get into for the following reason. If you have stepped into something with your bowling shoes on there is a good likely hood that you may stick on the approach. Sticking at the foul line is something that has happened to all of us at one time or another. Follow the advice just mentioned preventing your self from a fall or serious injury.
Walk to the foul line, this is the end of the approach near the beginning of the gutters. With your back facing the pins, take four normal steps away from the pins. Where ever you stop with your last step add another shoe length and this will be your starting point. Adjustments can be made to increase or decrease the distance which will be determined with more experience.
Let us refer back to golf again for this next step. Golfers always take a practice swing and this is for the feel of the swing, (muscle memory.) In many other sports, this is considered the norm or warm-up. I see very few players in bowling use this practice swing but it is what I teach all my students. If it were not helpful why do so many other athletes in so many sports do it!
Swing the ball once or twice without moving your feet. Please note, remember lane courtesy, (the bowler to your right and the bowler to your left, the three of you rotate turns so that when you bowl there is no one bowling on either side of you.) This will loosen up your arm and give you a feel for the swing. Now you are ready, move the ball forward, (right-hand bowlers move the right foot with the ball for your four-step approach.) Left-hand bowlers will move their left foot first for a four-step approach.
Then take your second step and the ball should be on a downward motion. Take the third step and the ball should reach the top of the backswing. The fourth and final step into your slide the ball should come from the backswing to the release. This will give the beginners plenty to work on for now. We will go into depth on the approach and swing in a later article for more advanced bowlers.
